Chapter 22: Half TruthsDay 19

  Went down before breakfast to check on my science-fair project. Looks great but some resin would be good for stability. I lit the stove — we’d need it for breakfast soon — and fetched a piece of scrap metal to avoid messing up another pan. Theo came out to start cooking while I warmed up the sap scrapings.

  I only heated it till it softened, but it was still too hot and icky to work with easily. I ended up using a small stick for most of it with a little touch-up with wet fingers. Not perfect but certainly not bad. Crushing this thing will certainly give off an interesting mixture of smells. I hung up the orb for the final drying and joined the others for breakfast.

  For some odd reason, Alina is staring at me, and not in a good way.

  “Um, something wrong, Alina?”

  “David, you’re starting to look a little scraggly. When was the st time you went to the barber?”

  “Um, quite awhile, I guess. Haven’t really thought about it.”

  “Your hair is OK but your beard is uneven. Stay here and I’ll fetch a good knife.”

  “Do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Of course I do. Just sit still.”

  I don’t have a beard but I guess my uneven stubble might look a bit weird, especially if I’m trying to look upper-css. Alina rather quickly evened out my hair and shaved my cheeks smooth — didn’t even need alum. She spared my fledgling mustache. She patted my face with a little oil and mint, like a professional, I assume.

  “Thanks, Alina. That’s much better.”

  “Yes, much more presentable.”

  “Right, that reminds me, it would be good to make Rutina’s magic orb look valuable and protect it during transport. Any suggestions?”

  Theo fetched an old, wooden box he’d found earlier. Alina cut a bit of fancy-looking cloth to use as cushioning and fir.

  “Looks great, thanks.”

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  With some excitement, I opened a portal to an alley near Vale’s adventurers guild. We reached the benches just before the others arrived.

  “Good morning everyone. Let’s get started. Rolf, we’ll check in around noon.”

  Rolf took off and the rest of us walked to the byrinth. Once inside, I had Theo take us to one of the quieter areas we’d identified earlier.

  “OK, Student, did you sleep well? Do you have any unusual feelings or sensations?”

  “I slept well and feel quite energetic. I guess my hands are a bit sore too. It may sound silly but I feel like I may have gotten stronger.”

  “Great and that sensation is just as expected. It’s time to activate your Mage Core. Are you ready?”

  “OK, sure. What do I do? Do I need my wand?”

  “No wand yet. The next step will be quite special.”

  I pulled out the junky box that had been in my family since this morning and opened it to reveal the impressive but utterly mundane orb. Picking it up gingerly by the string — maybe I should’ve cut that off — I showed it to Rutina as if it were a cherished item.

  “Oh, I have never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful.”

  “This item will help facilitate your transition. It’s not dangerous but it is quite delicate and should not be touched directly before the ritual.”

  As expected, Brunhild interjects, “My Lady, this could be a trap. I shall check it first.”

  “No, Brunhild, I trust my teacher. Besides, he wouldn’t need to resort to tricks to harm me. Even you must realize that the two of us would be no match for the three of them.”

  “Thanks, I guess. Anyway, as a Mage, I can stay with you but the others should back up a few steps. Of course, this is for their own safety.”

  Brunhild glowers but stays put.

  “Now that we’re all set, I’ll pce the item on the ground. After the short incantation, crush it under foot. Not too soon — be ready.”

  “Break it?”

  “Yes, it can only be used once.”

  “I understand and I’m prepared.”

  In a loud, clear voice, I evoke Merlin’s words of power:

  ?Annal Anthrax // Ulnas Béton // DuLac Fmme? [1]

  “Now!”

  Rutina dutifully crushed the orb with a satisfying crunch to release a little puff of nice fragrances. At same time, I changed her job to Mage, as promised.

  “Did it… did it work?”

  “Yes, I think it did, but let’s do a real test. Concentrate on a spot away from the others and think about ‘firewall’.”

  “Um… Ah! There it is! The incantation. I know it. I heard you say it before, but now I really know it.”

  “Good, go ahead and try it. I’m here for support.”

  FWOOM! Up goes Rutina’s firewall. Like a well-educated noble, Rutina got it right on her first try.

  “Yes! It worked! I really did it! Finally, I’m a real… oh, my head. I’m… I’m getting dizzy.”

  “It’s OK. You’re alright. This is perfectly normal after your first spell. Just try to rex.”

  Brunhild shouts in fury, “You fiend! What have you done?!”

  Expecting this, my guys calmly restrain Brunhild as I support the barely conscious Rutina.

  “How dare you touch Her Lady!”

  In a calm but dismissive voice, “Oh, do shut up, Brunhild. I told you before, do not interfere with my teaching.”

  Are my actions appropriate for a teacher? No. Then again, I’m not actually her teacher. I’m Rutina’s coach. A coach to catch her when she falls. I’m here until she can manage on her own. Mana depletion has a strong emotional component and right now, she needs this crutch. I’ve experienced what she’s feeling now and it’s truly terrible.

  I motioned to Theo and he used Dungeon Walker to bring us near the entrance. I helped Rutina out while the guys escorted Brunhild. I sat Rutina down on a nearby log but stayed close so she wouldn’t just fall over. Brunhild finally stopped struggling, but continued to gre at me. Of course, I could understand her side of this. To Brunhild, I was unworthy of even speaking to Her Lady.

  “I’m so sorry. Sorry that I doubted you. Maybe I never truly believe any of it. I knew it’d all just be a trick… I’ll never be able to…”

  “Shh, it’s OK. Depleting your Mage Core can hit you with intense, negative emotions. They can be almost overwhelming. Fortunately, they’re only temporary, quickly fading to apathy and then full recovery. It’s important to remember these feelings. You must learn to recognize them for what they are: warning signs to stop using magic. If they hit you in combat, get to safety and try to keep calm. If you need to quickly rejoin the battle, take a strengthening potion to clear your head. Otherwise, resist those feelings and they will be weaker next time.”

  “I feel a little better now.”

  “Your new Mage Core is still small and easily drained. We’ll rest a bit now and go back ter to continue without magic. Defeating monsters physically will help restore your magical power and expand your core so you’ll gradually be able to use more magic before getting tired.”

  “My Lady, this man…”

  “Brunhild, I understand your concern, but you’ve been told to back off. Do I need to send you away?”

  “No, My Lady. I am here to serve you.”

  Well, I certainly didn’t make a friend today, not that Brunhild was much of a fan before. More importantly, my lessons with Rutina can already be considered a success. I’ll help her power-level to a point that her Mage job can actually be useful. Helpfully, she’ll soon start to help clean up the terrible mess in her father’s territory.

  “Teacher, I’m ready to go back in.”

  I had Rutina restart her spear attacks on the first floor, but we moved to the second floor after the first hour. By lunch time, Rutina’s Mage job had reached level 3. We left the byrinth and met up with Rolf. Marcus and Theo went together to bring back enough meat-skewers for everyone — I should ask for a commission.

  “You seem to be feeling much better now.”

  “Yes, I feel great, actually.”

  “Good, then would you like to try using a bit more magic this afternoon? We’ll try to keep a moderate pace so you shouldn’t feel like you did before.”

  “Yes, Teacher, I’m ready to do more.”

  “Good. Let’s go back then. See you in a few hours, Rolf.”

  We went back to the first floor just to keep it simple.

  “Let’s stick with fire but switch to single target attacks. This time, think about ‘fireball’. When you have the spell in your mind, aim it at the monster.”

  “OK, got it.”

  “Fire away.”

  Boom. Rutina’s fireball hit true and the tree was set abze… but not defeated.

  “Feeling alright?”

  “Yes, Teacher. I’m fine.”

  “Good. Use your wand this time and take another shot. If you feel OK, you can take another shot after that, but make sure to pause in between to make sure you’re still feeling strong enough.”

  Boom, boom, boom, poof.

  “Hah, I did it. I’m tired, but it doesn’t hurt like before.”

  “You’re making wonderful progress, but let’s switch back to physical attacks for a while.”

  This isn’t a lie, Rutina actually is doing well. It feels like she’s putting her heart into fighting both with magic and spear. We continue like this while having her occasionally switch back to magic. Eventually, Rutina seems to be losing focus so we stop a bit early and walk back to the benches near the adventurers guild.

  “Thank you so much, Teacher. It’s amazing that it’s only been two days, but more than anything, I’m just so relieved that it worked at all.”

  “Happy to hear it, but your level of commitment was the key. You’ve used a lot of magical energy so it would be best to stop here. Avoid using any spells tonight if at all possible.”

  “Good, I’m too tired today anyway.”

  Right on cue, Rolf walked out of the guild building and took Rutina and Brunhild away. The guys followed me around the corner and we warped back home.

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  Alina was surprised but fortunately not startled this time.

  “You’re back early. Did it work out or should we pack up?”

  “O ye of little faith.”

  “Huh?”

  “It worked just fine. Rutina got her Mage job and has started using spells.”

  Marcus jumps in, “It didn’t just work, it was fantastic! Boss did some amazing chant in a weird nguage and everything. Even knowing the truth, it still felt real.”

  Theo adds, “That ritual honestly caught us by surprise. Lady Rutina must have been convinced.”

  “Ha ha, happy to hear it. Seems like it was worth the effort.”

  “David, what chant did you use?”

  “Annal Anthrax…”

  “No, wait, I didn’t mean for you to do it here.”

  “Haha, don’t worry, it doesn’t actually do anything.”

  “Really, you just made it up?”

  “No. I saw it in a… ah, never mind. It’s just something I heard a long time ago.”

  “I’m sorry, David. Theo warned me that you didn’t like to talk about yourself. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “Nah, that’s not it. … OK, it’s true that I don’t talk about my past, but that’s more for your sake.”

  “Is it really that bad?”

  “No, not at all. There are just some things I can’t expin. If asked, you can honestly report that I didn’t tell you.”

  “Uh, asked by who.”

  “Anyone in power. The point is, I may need to disappear on short notice. I won’t force any of you to come with me.”

  “David, I have no family and don’t want to return to Selmer — I’ll follow you.”

  “Us too, Boss. We might want to venture out someday, but not now.”

  “Gd to hear it and I’ll try to behave myself. Speaking of nobles, what do we know about the Duke of Harz?”

  The guys just shrug but Alina responds, “Not much really, except that he’s married to Lady Rutina’s sister, Cassia.”

  “So the count is the duke’s father-in-w?”

  “No, Lady Rutina and the duchess aren’t actually sisters, just cousins. I think the count and the duke are reted in some way too.”

  “Now I wish I hadn’t asked.”

  Alina and Theo went back to making dinner. Marcus tended to the weapons and I pretended to do something useful too. Of course, nobody actually expected me to do anything but I liked to pretend. In all honesty, I was exhausted after dealing with little Rutina all day. She’s a great student and has been quite humble for a noble — well, after having forced me into this. Still, having to always be on my guard and keep secrets is tiresome.

  After dinner, I didn’t really feel like going on a night dungeon visit so I just continued to rex. Alina eventually joined me.

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  [1] This is a badly mangled Charm of Making from a movie David saw on te-night TV (Excalibur).